Founders Imperial Stout - Founders Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
97
world-class
-
3,224 Ratings

rAvg: 4.38
pDev: 8.9%
Reviews: 1404
Hads: 1820

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Brewed by:
Founders Brewing Company

Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout | 10.50% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (1326), on-tap (67), growler (9), nitro-tap (2).

Notes:
90 IBU

View: Beers (66) | Reviews (220) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by manahansf:

manahansf

Indiana

4.65/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours slow and an inky opaque black color topped with a thin and lacy brown head. The nose is big and bold with roasted coffee aromas. The boldness of is continued into the taste with a huge thick body and very low carbonation. Sweet roasted coffee malts and subtle toffee/chocolate notes. No hop presence in the taste but it is a well balanced brew. The finish is long and sweet as the coffee character fades away and the sweetness comes out. As the brew slowly lingers and fades away and ends with a touch of warming alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 17:05:42 | More by manahansf

More User Reviews:

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.35/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle dated 1/5/13 poured into my Duvel tulip. Had been planing on aging this one a bit longer, but oh well.

A: Black as night and pours as thick as motor oil. With an aggressive pour. leave a finger's worth of tan head that dissipates rather quickly into some random bubbles and a thin halo along the glass' edge.

S: A lot of smoked malts resulting in a meaty aroma. A hint of chocolate sweetness.

T: Still a bit of meatiness in the taste, but there is a whole lot more bitter chocolate going on with the palate than there was in the aroma. This will only continue to grow in complexity as it ages and I'm excited to see what it tastes like moving forward.

M: As mentioned before, this was a thick pour and has a thick mouthfeel. That being said, that should be the goal of an imperial stout and this beer does it well. It coats the tongue well and leaves me yearning for another sip. I'll indulge that craving.

O: I'm excited to see as this beer develops. I have two more from this bottling date and another from the year before. All of them should provide great drinking experiences and I would venture a guess that I will enjoy it even more next time I revisit it.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 02:34:36 | More by Andrew61923

wezzul

Michigan

4.75/5 rDev +8.4%

05-24-2013 16:37:27 | More by wezzul

SwG237

New York

4.25/5 rDev -3%

05-24-2013 03:57:20 | More by SwG237

WKole81

Illinois

4.5/5 rDev +2.7%

05-24-2013 03:04:54 | More by WKole81

Billz187

Ohio

4.5/5 rDev +2.7%

05-23-2013 23:43:01 | More by Billz187

frogfan

Texas

4.75/5 rDev +8.4%

05-23-2013 19:08:04 | More by frogfan

AaronBricking

Kentucky

4.75/5 rDev +8.4%

05-23-2013 05:04:40 | More by AaronBricking

dar482

New York

4.49/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Bottle on neck says the beer was bottled on 12/6/12.

The color is a pitch black stout color with a chocolate brown half finger head. The head lingers, good amount of lacing on the glass. Beautiful color on the head.

The aroma has roasted malt, coffee, and deep rich chocolate fudge. It’s a very delicious chocolate aroma. There’s a bit of dark fruit in there.

The flavor is deep and rich. The first hit is just of dark roasted espresso, which leaves an aftertaste that salivates the mouth and asking for more. There’s also a dark bitter chocolate. However, the big flavor is that bitter espresso or French roasted coffee. It’s quite smokey at times. It’s almost like charcoal with how deep and burnt the flavor is.

As the beer warms up, you get some deep rich dark fruits like cherries or raisins, much like a Belgian strong dark ale.

The mouthfeel is just luscious and viscous, almost like drinking hot chocolate. It’s very creamy and the alcohol does not come through at all.

This is quite an exceptional beer, but for those who are interested in deep dark flavors. The bitterness in this does not let up. This is a good addition to Founders incredible line of beers. It pushes towards KBS instead of Breakfast Stout. I can definitely find some similarities between this and KBS, despite this not being the base beer.

For some, this would be too roasted, smokey, or almost burnt. I still think this is a wonderful beer, though I prefer a beer with more finesse or balance like Stone Russian Imperial.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 04:17:54 | More by dar482

4balance

Oklahoma

4.5/5 rDev +2.7%

05-23-2013 02:12:48 | More by 4balance

Bauzen

New York

4.28/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Black as night, thick as motor oil. Head is tan, there isn't much of it.

Smells of roasted malt, chocolate, and molases.

Slightly bitter, very thick, and pretty much a meal in a bottle. This is the kind of beer that warms you up on a cold night, but drinks as easy as a hot chocolate without being 'flavored'. The hops add to the body and the texture, keep things smooth and buttery. Very little of the initial bitterness remains in the finish, instead, the heat from the 10.5% ABV gives you a tingle on the palate.

Overall, it leaves something to be desired from other comparable offerings from Founders, but it certainly stands its ground as an exceptional Russian Imperial.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 01:30:44 | More by Bauzen